New Linux Drivers Can Extend Steam Deck Battery Life

ClareForaJanuary 29, 2022

There’s only a few weeks left to wait until the final Steam Deck is released, and in the meantime, there are some last-minute tweaks in the works.

Looks like there’s some final prep work being done in the near future Steam floor, will be released at the end of next month. For those who like Half life 2 get UI updates that makes it more suitable for handheld PCs, these few weeks remaining is an opportunity for Valve to take advantage of the time left and make sure their upcoming device is the best it can be. Also, it looks like the portable system might be getting some new drivers, which could improve overall battery life.

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According to a recent report from PC Gamer, the company is working to increase the power of Steam floor. In particular, the device’s Linux developers are working on some changes to the RADV driver, or Radeon Vulkan, that could make its battery better than what was originally advertised. The report links back to a blog post on Phoronix, in which the author discusses work done by Valve’s Samuel Pitoiset, who “made some changes” to Variable Rate Shading.

It seems that, with the latest drivers installed, VRS technology will be adjusted on the fly, depending on whether the device is using AC power or battery. Last year, it was revealed that Steam Deck will last two to eight hours on battery, depending on some circumstances. Such factors take into account exactly what the user is doing, such as playing a game or just browsing the web, and that by reducing the setting to 30 FPS such as Gate 2 will be able to last up to six hours.

With less than a month to go, many are eagerly awaiting its arrival, after it was initially delayed. It was supposed to be released in December 2021, but had to be pushed back a bit. It was recently announced that Steam Deck will officially launch on February 25just a few months after the original launch.

While The original deck was compared to the Nintendo Switch, it seems Valve has tried to steer public perception away from that idea. It looks quite similar to Nintendo’s hybrid console, but since Valve is essentially a handheld PC, it comes pre-installed with SteamOS and is capable of playing Steam games, but also has the ability to use external devices As much as a mouse and keyboard, it looks like the Deck could usher in a new era of mobile gaming.

The Steam floor slated to launch on February 25th.

THAN: Steam Deck’s latest developer update is a promising sign for multiplayer games

The source: PC Gamers, Phoronix